Scared of losing your Instagram photos, videos? Here’s a step-by-step guide to back up your data

If you are looking to download your photos and videos from social media platform Instagram, here's a guide to do is smoothly.

Written by: Hritika Mitra

Published: September 29, 2026, 5:30 PM IST

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https://www.india.com/technology/scared-of-losing-your-instagram-photos-videos-heres-a-step-by-step-guide-to-back-up-your-data-8531285/ Copy

instagram features

Most people spend a major part of their day scrolling through social media, especially Instagram Reels. But we rarely think about the people behind the camera. So if you are one of them, one of the biggest fears you may have is backing up your content available on social media.

However, with all the new updates rolling out on Instagram, a specific feature that has made life easier for content creators is the ability to download the videos and photos that they have already posted on social media.

Also Read | Will your post disappear in 2 hours? What’s changed on Instagram, X, and YouTube after the new rules

Here are the steps that you can use to download to your photos and videos

How to download Instagram content in posts on your phone?

• Open Instagram on your phone.
• Then, go to your profile by tapping your profile picture appearing in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
• Now, select a photo or video you have posted that you wish to download and tap on it.
• Click on the share button.
• Here, navigate to the Download button and click it.
  The photo or video will automatically get saved to your phone’s camera roll.
• Alternatively, you can enable automatic downloading of photos and videos you post by tapping on the more options menu in the top-right corner on your profile page.
• Then, scroll to the Your App and Media section.
• Tap on the Archiving and downloading button.
• Toggle the Saving to camera roll option.

Also Read | ‘Did not meet expectations’: Meta removes AI image feature from Instagram after privacy backlash

How to download photos and videos in stories on your phone

• Open Instagram on your handset.
• Tap on the profile picture appearing in the top-left corner of the screen in the Story section.
• Keep tapping the screen till you reach the story you wish to download to your phone’s camera roll.
• Open the More menu by tapping on the three dots in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
• Now, click on the Save button.

How to save photos and videos using desktop?

The option to download Instagram photos and videos doesn’t work on desktop, but you can still get around this by transferring the files from your phone.

Instagram provides new updates

Instagram has published an updated guide to creating effective Reels, including notes on creative options, advanced editing features and distribution opportunities.

The updated guide is part of the platform’s “Tips and Tricks” series, which aims to provide more insight into how the various functions of the platform work, in order to invite more people to try them out.

And while many of the notes are aimed at a more general audience, as opposed to providing advanced creation pointers, there are some potentially valuable notes contained within this latest overview.

First, the guide explains the Reels creation process, and where Reels fit in the broader IG ecosystem.